Comatose
by TheLilyoftheValley
Summary: Ratchet is torn. He has been on the planet Earth for a year now, but he doesn't want to head back to Solana. When a car accident threatens to take everything from him, the Lombax will learn how much he means to everyone, and ultimately make a decision that will change the course of his life... {Gift to the RaC Community}
1. Part 1

_( **Edit: 10/28/2017** It has been brought to my attention that the receiver of this gift does not like my work anymore, and does not appreciate the hard work that was put into this story. This user has also apparently been bullying other users in this Archive, ones that do not deserve the flaming or abuse. Because of the disregard for others and the verbal abuse towards me and other people, this gift has officially been retracted._

 _This gift is no longer for the user, it is now a gift for the people of the Ratchet and Clank community. I figure I should gift this story to those that actually deserve it, and although I cannot give this to the people who were flamed or bullied [since that would single them out and I don't think they're prepared to get a gift that was originally for someone else], I hope the Ratchet and Clank community enjoys what I wrote, and accept my apologies for waiting so long before taking action._

 _I hope you enjoy the story you guys! I will try to get out the third part over my Winter Break, since school is taking up all my time, and the anniversary fic is a big priority on my to-do list. Enjoy!)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank characters.**

Comatose

Part 1

Have you ever felt like time was slipping through your fingers? Like you had to make one of the biggest decisions of your life, and the clock was actively working against you?

Ratchet squeezed the leather-covered steering wheel and gritted his teeth as Grim's words echoed in his head. He fought to control his rising anger as he pushed his foot down against the gas pedal.

 _Why don't you want to come back to Veldin?! Don't you know where your home is?!_

The grey, beat-up 2009 Ford Mustang tore through the grassy fields outside the shimmering Midwestern city, trying to escape it all. Behind the car, the city beamed lights into the night sky, blocking out some groups of stars yet standing as a dominating symbol of human culture. The pale, silver moon hung right in front of the path of the car, and Ratchet glared at it as his eyes began to tear up.

 _You can't tell me you want to stay on that planet out in the middle of nowhere?! Sure, Veldin's a backwater planet, but at least we're part of a collection of planets in a galactic civilization! Compared to Veldin, Earth's a primitive wasteland! How could you want to stay there?!_

The yellow Lombax shook his head and focused on the dirt path in front of him. Keep it together, keep it together, keep it together…

The car screeched to a halt right next to a lone tree that held an abandoned tire swing, and Ratchet slammed the clutch into Park.

He bit his lip, anger and despair churning in his stomach and threatening to release the dam behind his eyes. Ratchet squeezed his eyes tight and took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. He swallowed as he regained some control over his emotions, and slowly opened his eyes as he looked back up through the windshield of the car.

Back at the city, the light pollution blocked out the stars from his view, but out here in the countryside, he was able to see the beautiful teardrops of light. The moon seemed larger out where Ratchet was, and beamed down on the grassy outskirts, illuminating the land around the car in a silver glow. The tire hanging from the tree stayed stock still, it's rope frayed near the base of the knot, as if someone had loved swinging on it for a long time before suddenly abandoning it to the elements of nature and the harsh effects of time.

Ratchet took one last, long, deep breath before relaxing his body against the leather-covered seat. He leaned his seat back, and stared out the windshield before giving a frustrated sigh and putting his seat back up in the driving position.

He glared at the steering wheel again before relaxing his body. His eyes burned again, the thoughts of Grim's furious face through the communicator brought him to near tears.

Ratchet leaned back as soon as the tightness in his chest disappeared, and slowly swiveled his head to look at the seats behind him.

On the seat diagonal to him, his Omniwrench sat, its silver and blue colors giving Ratchet a sense of familiarity and safety. It glimmered under the beams of moonlight streaming into the car, and Ratchet reached forward to grab it before slowly pulling back his hand.

He turned to the seat behind him and found his standard issued pistol on the seat behind him, its barrel pointed away from the driver's seat for safety purposes. It also held a silver color, with a rough, black grip and a grey trigger.

Ratchet stared at the two weapons before breathing and reaching out for the hand gun. He grabbed its handle, quickly checked to make sure the safety was on, and slipped it into the holster on his left hip. He waited a moment, before reaching back around his chair to grab his Omniwrench, a part of him refusing to leave it behind in the car.

His fingers wrapped around the handle of the wrench, and he drew his hand back as Ratchet delicately turned the wrench to avoid hitting anything in the car. He pulled it close to his chest and sighed as he turned and opened the car door.

As his large, steel-toed combat boots hit the grass, Ratchet adjusted his plain green T-shirt and straightened the harness on his back. As soon as he was done, he hooked the wrench onto his back and stood up from the car seat. His baggy, yet comfy, camouflage pants shifted with the weight on Ratchet's hip, where the handgun rested in its holster. The Lombax scratched at an itch under his aviator's cap as he eased the car door shut behind him, frowning as the itch grew.

He wiggled his finger under the brown cap and sighed in relief as he scratched at the pesky itch. After a moment, he pulled out his finger and stepped away from his car.

Ratchet took a few steps forward before dropping to the ground, his whole body suddenly drained of energy. The Lombax landed on his butt and flopped backward to the ground, barely noticing the bulky wrench on his back.

Ratchet felt tears prick the backs of his eyes, but before they could spill down his cheeks, the Lombax rubbed at his eyes and took another calming deep breath. After a moment, he pulled his hands away from his face and stared up at the blanket of stars.

No matter what, his mind still wouldn't stop turning over Grim's words.

The whole thing had started a year ago, when the Solana galaxy had found a quiet little planet the inhabitants called Earth. Since nobody could really tell if the inhabitants were hostile or not, the President had sent his best soldiers to explore the planet: the Solonian Galactic Rangers.

The Rangers touched down on Earth in a country called "The United States of America" before promptly being taken into custody. After a month of security checks and reassurances from the Solonian President, the Rangers had finally been able to explore the planet Earth at their own leisure, however, there were a few rules and restrictions the Rangers had to follow in order to ensure their safety and the safety of the planet they now lived on.

One, the Rangers needed to live in a city near a military base, where the government could keep an eye on them, and provide a place to house the technology the Rangers had before they came to Earth.

Two, the Rangers were not allowed to use any of their Solonian technology outside of the base, including their ships, armors, and weapons. The humans feared that the new tech could fall into the wrong hands, and with that powerful of technology against the human "guns" …

There had been a fight over that rule, with Brax and Qwark arguing that they needed the tech to protect themselves and to help keep in touch with Solana, and with Cora and Elaris arguing that the loss of technology might help with the immersion into human culture and help keep the planet safe from any mad scientists or corrupt business companies trying to take advantage of the powerful weapons and armors. Ratchet had been fine with or without his weapons and gadgets, but when he had learned that Clank would have to be sent back to Solana or be destroyed in order for the Rangers to follow through on the rule, the Lombax immediately fought back against that restriction with every fiber in his body.

The rest of the Rangers had been pretty furious about that fact as well, and they had put aside their fighting to band together and save Clank. After that, the government allowed a few exceptions to the no technology rule. Clank could stay on Earth and walk around on his own or with the Rangers, but he had to have a tracking device installed into him in case he was kidnapped and he had to turn down any offers from anyone offering to study him. Ratchet's Omniwrench was also permitted, as a gesture of goodwill from the human government, although Ratchet needed to have the Omniwrench with him at all times or lock it up in a safe if he wasn't currently using it.

All of the fighting ended after that, with Qwark and Brax reluctantly agreeing to give up their technology to the government in order to better immerse themselves in human culture, and Ratchet being happy that Clank was safe. Clank was allowed special clearance, and Ratchet was able to keep his trademark tool.

Overall, the culture shock had been pretty jarring, but in the end, Ratchet was very glad that the human government made him trade in his advanced weaponry for the average handgun. A pistol was a lot more merciful on the human body than Buzz Blades or a Lava Gun, and Ratchet wouldn't have to deal with possible prosecutions of committing crimes against humanity.

And that's when it happened. Ratchet immersed himself in the new human culture, and found himself loving what the humans could offer him. It was simple, yet it was full of life.

A few months after Ratchet had saved up enough of the allowance the US government allowed him to have, the Lombax had bought a somewhat broken-down 2009 Ford Mustang from one of the humans for real cheap, and learned every aspect of the car while tinkering on it. He quickly picked up how to drive a car (along with Elaris and Brax when they volunteered to be the drivers for their roommates), and found utter joy in going to car shows that showcased the vehicles throughout the years.

The clothes weren't as protective as his old armor was, but Ratchet felt extreme comfort wearing the different kinds of Earth clothes. There were so many styles and choices in fabric, it was almost impossible not to find something that fit his taste. He loved wearing the soft, cotton work shirts and the sturdy yet comfy camouflage pants. Sometimes he felt naked without his armor, but in the end, it opened him up to a more trusting relationship with the humans he met, and sometimes allowed him to have a more friendly and informal relationship with the humans he did talk to.

And the video games! Ratchet had worked with Elaris to save up enough money to get them each a game system and a few games, and both of them loved the connectivity the multiplayer video games provided them. They played with other humans on those fun games, and while both Rangers got their butts handed to them plenty of times, they met some pretty cool humans from other sections of the planet through the games, and bonded with many of them while working together to take down another team or virtual enemy base. A few of these friendships actually extended outside the video game sphere, and both Ratchet and Elaris had multiple friends that Skype-called them from time to time.

The weapons on Earth weren't the best Ratchet had ever had, but spending time with his fellow Rangers on the military base, all of them learning how to adapt to the new weapons, had given Ratchet a deeper appreciation of his friendships with the Rangers. Cora and Brax had a pretty rough time using the weapons until a couple of military soldiers showed them ways on how to better control and aim the guns they were required to use. Both Cora and Brax made tons of friends on the base after that, and Ratchet had to admit, learning about the war stories the two Rangers and the humans had gone through was amazing. He learned more about how his companions handled themselves in times of crisis over the last few months than he had during the past few years, and bonded with the men and women serving their terms on the base.

And, last but certainly not least, was the energy and life in the people of Earth. They were hostile and wary at first, but after the Rangers helped out on solving a few global conflicts and were proven to stay docile to the general population, the humans had welcomed them with mostly open arms. There was still some distrust the Rangers faced from some humans, but overall Ratchet met tons of humans that were excited and curious about meeting their new visitors from space.

Sure, there were morons and xenophobes that gave Ratchet the cold shoulder, but most of the people Ratchet met out on the street were kind and welcoming. The Lombax had many times where a random encounter on the street would lead to a new friendship, at one point joining a dance contest with a few "hip hop" activists that taught both Ratchet and Clank a selection of new dance moves.

There was so much passion in the people of Earth. They fought hard for what they believed in and expressed themselves in every way imaginable, and Ratchet couldn't count how many movies, books, music, and art he had come across that had accentuated that passion. It was like having a whole galaxy on a single planet, with so much diversity despite the primitive technology.

It was everything Ratchet could dream of, and he absorbed every ounce of energy he could get from the planet's people. He threw himself headfirst into the culture and came out smiling and equally as passionate as the humans were. He was the first Ranger to accept and adopt the human culture to its fullest, and his heroics from saving the world from some global conflicts and his willingness to open up to the humans had earned the Lombax plenty of friends and fans (along with a few enemies) across the world.

That was the problem.

Ratchet snapped out his reminiscing and sat up from his horizontal position. He pulled his knees up to his chest and stared out at the dark green countryside all around him, finding peace in watching the fireflies float lazily over the grass blades.

Today had been the start of a week's worth of work the Rangers had to do in order to provide a crash course for their galaxy on planet Earth. It was their final two weeks on Earth before heading back to Solana, and all of the other Rangers looked forward to it. Qwark loved the attention he received on Earth, but he complained a lot about being separated from his older fans. Cora and Brax were both excited to head back to Solana and share the stories they had learned to their Solana friends, and even though Elaris was quite sad that she would have to say goodbye to her new friends until the next time she visited Earth, she was excited for when she could head back to her lab in the Hall of Heroes and finally begin working on the inventions she came up with over the course of the year (she had about six composition notebooks full of them). Even Clank was excited to head back, the little robot happy to return to the planet he made his first and best friend on.

Ratchet was the only one that didn't want to go back to Solana. A strong part of him wanted to stay on Earth, and continue to explore what the human culture could offer him. But give up Solana and Veldin?

Grim had called in the middle of the meeting the Rangers held over what to put in their presentation. When Grim popped up on the communicator on the wall, Ratchet had felt his stomach plummet to the floor in fear.

Grim had immediately shrugged off Qwark's questions over how the purple mechanic got ahold of the private channel the Rangers used to contact the Hall of Heroes and zeroed in on Ratchet. The mechanic chattered on for a full minute about how happy he was that Ratchet was finally coming back, and spent another minute giving the entire Rangers a highlight of how busy his garage had been over the past month. By the time he was done, Grim was thoroughly out of breath, and had the biggest relieved grin on his face. His eyes were glassy as Grim held back tears, and it didn't take a genius to see that Grim was overjoyed at the prospect of his somewhat adopted son returning to his home.

Ratchet's chest had tightened and he had fought to keep his voice from cracking, but he spoke up, and told Grim and the other Rangers the news.

"Grim," he had said before slouching a little in his seat, "I don't know if I'll be returning to Veldin. I've been thinking of moving to Earth with a more permanent stay in mind."

Grim's face fell like a meteor from space. His face twisted into one with shock and confusion, and before Ratchet could give any reason as to why he wanted to stay, Grim's face had morphed into one of pure rage.

"You're telling me," the mechanic had growled, "that you want to stay on that on a planet out in the middle of nowhere, away from any kind of civilization? You want to give up the planet you've lived on for your whole life for some planet that's full of drooling idiots that don't even know how to build a proper ship?!"

Ratchet had jumped up from his seat and begun arguing with Grim about how the humans were nothing like how Grim thought they were.

The mechanic listened to none of it. He had yelled at Ratchet through the communicator until he was beet red in the face, and the purple mechanic was almost brought to tears by the end of the argument.

"Fine, stay on Earth," Grim had said, his furious eyes tearing up Ratchet's insides. "You're not welcome on Veldin anymore."

After that, the communicator had shut off, and the rest of the Rangers struggled to focus on the presentation they had to create. Every one of them had their eyes focused on Ratchet, and none of them looked like they understood the Lombax's decision.

"You actually want to stay here?" Brax had asked quietly, the simple question increasing the tension in the room.

Ratchet hadn't answered him, and had focused on the project.

That was his problem, he loved Earth too much, and no matter how many times the Lombax had tried to deny it, it was completely clear.

He wanted to permanently move to Earth, but that meant he had to give up the place he was born and raised in. Not to mention, moving to Earth would move him far away from the Rangers. Even with the Gigametric Warp-Drive he had invented before he came to Earth, it would still take two hours to cross the Milky Way galaxy over to Solana, and another half hour before Ratchet could make it to the Hall of Heroes. Two and a half hours was an eternity during a time of crisis, and it could mean all the world if Ratchet couldn't make it to the fight in time.

Ratchet didn't even know what Clank was going to do. The little robot wanted to go back to Solana, and Ratchet didn't want to force Clank to stay with him. It was Clank's decision in the end if he wanted to stay with Ratchet on Earth if Ratchet decided to move to the planet, but the Lombax had a feeling that Solana's favorite duo was about to be split up.

There were so many opportunities Earth could provide him, but Ratchet would have to give up a part of him in order to make room for a new one to be made. If he moved back to Solana, he wouldn't find the same passion and drive that he had found on Earth, and he had the feeling that he would regret not taking advantage of the opportunities Earth provided him. He could grow as a person and find a new sense of passion in life, along with making friends with humans that could easily take on the world.

But he'd have to give up his old identity in order to gain a new one.

A spark of fiery anger shot through Ratchet, and the Lombax shot from his sitting position and let out a scream in pure anger. Nothing changed in the beautiful country night around him, but the Lombax gripped the side of his head and roared at the starry night sky, his chest exploding in repressed emotions. He yanked the Omniwrench off his back and tore toward the tire swing.

Ratchet whipped his wrench at the swing and the tire swung back from the force of the hit. Ratchet battered the swing with his wrench and hit it a little bit harder each time the tire swung back to Ratchet.

Ratchet was never usually this emotional, but when faced with disappointment from his close friends and family and the possible loss of everything he had ever known, combined with the prospect of a better life and the ability to grow and immerse himself in another culture that he still knew little about left the Lombax in a fragile emotional state that threatened to overwhelm him.

"WHY! ISN'T! THIS! EASY?!" Ratchet screamed as he accentuated each word with a hit to the tire.

His eyes teared up, and as Ratchet closed his eyes to control his tears, the tire swung and plowed into the Lombax's unguarded chest.

Ratchet was knocked back from the blow, and stumbled backward on his feet before collapsing to his knees.

Tears poured out of the young Lombax's eyes, and he didn't put up anymore resistance to the tears. He eased his grip from his wrench and stared at the grass.

"Why isn't this easy?" Ratchet asked the ground quietly. "Why do I risk hurting people I love? Why can't I move somewhere new and have nothing change? What if I make the wrong decision?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and dug his fingers into the grass. "How is everything going to turn out in the end?"

Ratchet cried for a few minutes, shaking as heavy sobs escaped his chest and lessened the tension in his heart. By the time the Lombax was finished and able to calm himself down a little, he was thoroughly exhausted, both emotionally and physically. He slowly picked himself up from the ground, grabbed his wrench from the ground, and turned back toward the open country and the starry night sky over it.

"I need more time to think about this," Ratchet said to the open air, feeling a little more relaxed at voicing what he was feeling. "I need a few more days to think this over, I… I don't think I can make my decision right now."

The stars seemed to twinkle in approval, and Ratchet thought over his words.

He still did have time to think over this decision. He had at least a week and a half to make a decision for either planet, and while it was a short amount of time, it was better than trying to make a life-changing decision in one night.

He still had a little bit of time left.

A shooting star caught Ratchet's eye, and the Lombax's eyes locked onto the flaming rock as it shot across the sky. "I wish that this whole thing was over," he said to the shooting star. "I don't care how this thing gets worked out, but I just want this whole problem to be solved already. It hasn't even been a full day yet, but I don't know how much more stress I can take."

The star disappeared halfway through that sentence, but the Lombax felt a sense of relief flood his body, as if someone had heard his plea for help.

Ratchet sighed and forced a small smile onto his face as he made his way back to his car. He opened the door and took one last look at the night sky before sliding into the car seat, closing the door, and starting up the Mustang.

He pulled around the tree and headed back toward the city at half the speed he had been at while driving into the field. The Lombax sighed as he leaned back in his seat, one hand holding and controlling the steering wheel and the other hand leaning against the car window, holding up his head. He headed onto the main road that led back to the city, and after fifteen minutes, the grey Mustang pulled onto one of the streets leading through the suburbs to the city.

After a few minutes of navigating the suburbs, the Mustang finally pulled into the downtown area. Lights from the nearby shops and buildings illuminated the street in a golden glow, and even though it was 9:30 at night, there weren't many cars on the road due to it being a dreary Monday night. A few cars pulled in behind Ratchet, but other than that, the Lombax just cruised through the streets.

As he pulled up to a stoplight, Ratchet slowed the car down and stopped the car, cracking open his window slightly so he could get some fresher air in the car. He tapped his thumb rhythmically against the steering wheel and stared at the empty road ahead of him.

Suddenly, a flash erupted next to the window, and the Lombax flinched away from the window in shock.

"It's him, that's Ratchet the Lombax!"

A horde of rookie reporters, a mix of males and females, eager to get the latest scoop on their favorite Ranger, swarmed around the Mustang. They crowded around the driver's and passenger's windows and two of them continued to take pictures of the startled Lombax on their phones from the driver's side.

One of the reporters, a disheveled young college male that looked like he worked more than he looked at a bed, held up his work phone and cleared his throat. "Tell us Ratchet, how do you feel about the prospect of going back to your home galaxy after a long year on Earth?!"

Ratchet glared at the reporter. "No comment," Ratchet said firmly as he put his hands back onto the steering wheel.

The male reporter frowned as he continued to hold the phone to the side of the window, probably annoyed that he had to work to get that piece of info that would get him a raise in his paycheck. "Come on Mr. Ratchet, you haven't spoken to the press in over two weeks, and none of Earth's citizens are getting any information as to how everything is going to turn out in the end. Tell us what's happening with the Rangers."

Ratchet turned his head away from the reporter and stared at the road ahead of him. He fought to keep his anger from earlier from returning.

"Look guys," Ratchet began, little sparks of anger shooting through his body. "I can't tell you anything right now. Case closed, go home and have a wonderful evening."

One of the female reporters near the disheveled college man pushed a mic as close as she could to the crack of the window, a cameraman holding a large camera up behind her. "Ratchet, is it true that the Rangers are preparing something to show the citizens of Solana? What do you think the general reaction of Solana will be? How have they taken it so far?"

Grim's words shot through Ratchet's head and the Lombax gritted his teeth as his anger from earlier came back in full force.

The male reporter pushed his phone closer to the window, slipping a little bit of the device into the car to get a closer shot of the yellow Lombax. "Ratchet, have you kept in contact with any friends or family from Solana during your time on Earth? How happy are they now that you're returning home?"

Ratchet's blood boiled and the Lombax glared at the intersection. His breath came out in shaky rage-filled grunts, and his hands gripped the wheel in a death-like vice.

 _Stop bringing up the people that are disappointed in me. Stop asking me the questions I'm struggling to answer._

The man pushed the phone just a little farther into the car, now starting to direct the camera at Ratchet's lap in order to try and get the Lombax's comments. Ratchet felt his blood reach a boiling point, and he used every ounce of his willpower to hold down his rage.

The reporter took his silence as a "no" and smirked as he looked at the furious Lombax. "Ratchet, are you withholding comment because you want to stay here on Earth?" Before the Lombax could contest the question, the reporter shouted over to the other college-aged reporters on the other side of the Mustang. "Looks like we have a new hero for Earth!"

Ratchet felt his control snap and he snarled at the reporters near his window. Both of the humans yanked their equipment back and reeled away from the car, fear plastered all over their faces.

"ENOUGH!"

He couldn't take any of this anymore. He had to get away. Away from the reporters. Away from the disappointed and shocked Rangers. Away from Grim and his heartbroken face. Away from everything.

Ratchet slammed his foot down onto the gas pedal and glared at the road in front of him. The car stayed in place for a moment before shooting forward into the still red-lighted intersection.

Ratchet turned to look back at the reporters and that's when he saw it.

Everything turned into slow motion as the large, black pickup truck slammed into the side of the Mustang.

Ratchet felt a sharp pain erupt in his left side of his body before everything went black.

* * *

Elaris prided herself in her ability to reason things out. She was the main strategist for the Rangers, and the main problem-solver of the group. When it came down to it, she could probably find an answer to almost every problem, and there was very little that remained unsolvable.

Walking into her apartment to find her boss wearing a bright pink apron while eating Cheetos and screaming at the reality TV show on the tiny television in the kitchen while simultaneously making some kind of seafood dish was one of those unsolvable ones.

Elaris kicked the door shut behind her as she dropped her knapsack onto the breakfast bar near the door. "Captain?" she asked, an eyebrow starting to creep up her forehead.

The giant green-spandex-covered man whirled around, a hand pushed up against his mouth. "Uhlares," Qwark said around a mouth chocked full of food, trying to look as professional as possible in his red-hearted kitchen apron.

Back when the Rangers were deciding living arrangements, the small group all agreed that they would like to live off the military base and in a nearby, human-populated city. The problem was, the government was extremely worried about both Qwark and Elaris, one being the technological genius who armed the entire Solonian Rangers, and the other being the one who led them.

Elaris and Qwark had to stick together in order to protect one another if any villain came to kidnap them and hold them for ransom or torture one of them for powerful weaponry and armor. The government had only allowed the two of them to move off the base, if they promised to live with each other and carry at least three weapons and a tracking bracelet with them whenever they went outside.

Even if Elaris and Qwark weren't required to live together, it probably would have turned out that way. While it could have been girls with girls and boys with boys, Brax and Qwark together unleashed their more… destructive sides. Putting Cora with Qwark wasn't a good idea either, as Cora could only take so much of the captain's antics before becoming… aggressive. Ratchet and Clank were already rooming with each other, and it would be unfair for them to house Qwark while Elaris got a whole apartment to herself.

Elaris had the most amount of patience, was able to better balance out Qwark's reckless streak, and would be able to better protect him if any criminals tried to take a shot at the two Rangers.

Elaris really didn't mind. It was the logical solution to the problem, and everything worked out for the better in the end.

Although the weird stuff she caught her boss doing on a regular basis did throw her off a little.

Elaris laughed as she double-tapped the tracking bracelet to turn it off and unhooked it from her wrist. "Captain, what on Earth are you doing now? When I left, you were binge-watching 'Say Yes to the Dress' and yelling at the TV mom while trying to work on your speech for the President."

Qwark swallowed his food and wiped at his eye as he sniffled. "Phyllis was controlling her. I don't know how Daisy stood for it." The captain sniffed again as a sob-like sound escaped his throat. "And on the greatest occasion of her life..."

Elaris swiftly crouched down and yanked the switch knife hidden in her combat boot out from its place. She sprung back up and delicately tossed the covered knife onto the cover of her knapsack. She nodded to the seafood and the television as she reached for the small pistol in the holster on her belt.

Qwark looked at the mess before giving out an "Oh, right." He rolled up the top of the Cheetos bag and rubbed his powdery fingers on his apron, before chucking the bag onto the far end of the breakfast bar.

He gestured to the little TV and stepped out of the way so Elaris could see the show. All the girl could see was two women apparently arguing with each other over performing intercourse with the same man.

"Uh-huh." She gently grabbed both her knife and the gun and pushed them into her knapsack, still trying to understand the whole point of all the drama.

Qwark huffed and wiggled like a five-year-old that had been told to do something they didn't want to do. "Elaris, this is prime television on this planet!" He threw his arm over his eyes in a dramatic fashion. "The angst! The betrayals! The outfits! The conflicts!"

He broke from his character to grab a spatula and gently move the salmon fillet around the pan to gather up more of the butter and spices. After he stirred the salmon around for a moment, he tapped the wet tip of the spatula against the pan, put it down on a nearby kitchen towel, and resumed his previous dramatic pose.

"The drama!"

Elaris chuckled as Qwark peeked out from under his beefy arm to study her reaction. "If you say so Captain," she said as her boss dropped his arm from his face.

Qwark stood completely still for a moment before his face scrunched up in thought. "You know," he began, "what if we had our own reality TV show back in Solana? We could have the highest rated show besides _Lance and Janice_ , AND we could make so much money off of it we would never have to work again!"

Elaris shook her head as she grabbed her knapsack off the counter and began to head for her room. "I don't think that would be a good idea captain. Especially without the others' permission."

Qwark sighed dramatically as he followed Elaris to the kitchen entrance. "But 'Laris! You guys would make a great cast of supporting characters in the show."

Elaris shook her head. "Sorry Captain, but I really don't think the others would like something like that." Elaris brightened after a moment of thought. "Besides," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "you can't have the cameras on you all the time, you may lose your mystery to the public."

The captain puffed out his chest in pride and put one his hands to his hips. His other hand wrapped around the edge of his large chin, and Qwark put on a smirk.

"You're right Elaris," Qwark said, his voice starting to dip into an arrogant undertone. "I can't have my adoring public get too much of me."

Qwark turned back around to his fish and continued on with his impromptu monologue. "If my fans got too much of me, I may not have any more secrets of mine to share. I'll have no spark!" He hooked his arm over his eyes again. "Alas! As much as I would love to give my fans the true hero they deserve, I must not go through with it."

A smile tugged at the corner of Elaris' mouth. "A wise decision Captain."

Qwark yanked off his apron and held it longways over the lower half of his face, like a cape. A wide grin flashed behind the apron. "Of course Elaris, I always make the best decisions!" He whirled his apron around, the tie now somehow back around his neck. The apron fell down the captain's back like a cape. "I am the most mysterious and charismatic superhero in Solana! I am the pinnacle of heroism and- NOT THE SALMON!"

Qwark darted over to the salmon as a burning smell began to fill the kitchen. Elaris rolled her eyes as Qwark quickly shut the heat to the stove off and moved the pan over to the sink.

She stared at him as he poured water against the fish to cool off the hot food before chucking the meal in the trash. He turned back to her after a moment of Elaris studying him.

"What?"

Elaris crossed her arms over her chest and gave the captain a knowing look. "You're going all out on Earth food because you want to impress that guy that goes into failing restaurants and yells at everybody, aren't you?"

Qwark gasped and reeled back in shock. "Gordon Ramsey is not just 'that guy!' And I will impress him with my superior ability master the culinary arts of this planet's food."

Elaris chuckled and turned away. She shifted her knapsack on her shoulders and headed for her room. "Just don't burn the apartment down Captain! I'll be in my room catching up on the Earth news and playing Overwatch with Rotem. Call me if you need me for anything!"

Qwark scoffed as he straightened his apron and turned his attention back to the TV. "Please, as an expert of the culinary arts and a trained superhero I am well able to handle anything in a calm and professional- YOU'RE THE REASON WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS KEVIN!" he shouted at the television, pointing his finger accusingly at the man that just walked onscreen.

Elaris held back a laugh and headed into her room. She tossed her knapsack onto her bed and pulled at the necklace she wore. Hidden inside one of the jewels was a tiny laser tool that also counted as one of her weapons in case of emergency.

The girl reached around her neck and unhooked the clasp of the necklace. She delicately unwound the necklace from her neck and slipped into a small jewelry box on top of her dresser and sighed as she finally let out all of the stress from the workday.

She had no idea what to feel about Ratchet's declaration to possibly move to Earth. She was torn between a selfish desire to keep her friend with her and a desire to see Ratchet grow and thrive in a new environment. Elaris was both scared and anxious for Ratchet in the coming days: he would have to make a critical decision that would cause a drastic impact on his life, and Elaris knew from experience that those decisions were the hardest to make.

Elaris rubbed at her eyes and gave another sigh as she forced Ratchet's announcement out of her mind.

She was scared. Ratchet was perfectly capable of making his own decisions, but Elaris couldn't help but worry for her friend. What if his decision was fine now, but later on it turned on him and put him in a bad situation? How would they replace Ratchet if he dropped out of the Rangers? How would Clank react to his best friend staying on the planet? Would Clank also leave the Rangers with Ratchet?

There were so many questions that filled her head, and Elaris was worried sick for the Lombax. She didn't want Ratchet to go, but at the same time she wanted the cheery Lombax to live life the way he wanted to live it, and grow in new ways that helped him thrive in his environment. She wanted to tell the Lombax to move back to Solana, she wanted to tell him that he was making an enormous mistake that could impact him dramatically, but in the end, it was up to Ratchet, and even though Elaris didn't like it, she knew in her heart that she would support his final decision, staying in Solana or not.

The tall girl grabbed a remote off her nightstand and clicked on the television in her room, the channel already tuned in to the local news channel. As Elaris unpacked her knapsack, she caught glimpses of the nightly news.

 _"Good evening, this is Dev Parker and Helen Ramirez on channel 5 with the ten o'clock news."_

Elaris took a quick look at the TV to see the two anchors straighten the papers in front of the them and smile at the camera.

 _"Tonight,"_ Parker started, _"Rising temperatures indicate global warming, but does everyone agree on it? Our special guest will be coming on later to give us that answer. Helen?"_

The pretty female reporter turned to the camera with a smile on her face. _"Politicians across the globe are debating over how to deal with the recent rise of xenophobia. People were fine with the Solana Rangers, but are they ready for-"_

The female reporter's face suddenly widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. She quickly slipped a hand behind her hair and pressed her earbud closer into her ear.

 _"Harvey… could-could you say that again? I-I-"_

Elaris slowly reached her hand into her bag and pulled out a few stacks of reports that she needed to go over. She set them on her bed and scrunched her face in confusion as more of her attention shifted over to the news report.

What was going on? Why'd the reporter lose her resolve?

Ramirez took a deep breath and slipped on her resolve again after a moment of tense silence. She slowly raised her head back to the camera and spoke.

" _Breaking news: The Solana Ranger formally known as Ratchet the Lombax has- has been involved in a horrific car accident."_

Elaris' mouth dropped and her body froze in utter shock. "No, no, no…"

 _"We are about to show sensitive footage onscreen. If there are any children in the room or anyone else that is sensitive to this material, please leave the room now."_

The screen to the right of the reporter lit up and a crushed, silver Mustang filled the main screen. Elaris felt bile rise up in her throat as she stared at the punched in side of the car. Her brain went through every possible reason as to why that wasn't Ratchet's car, that this was a huge mistake and that she was going to have a long talk with the owner of the station about reporting false information.

 _"Our group of reporters found the Lombax driving through the city at around 9:35 PM, and approached the vehicle when it stopped at an intersection. Our reporters began to ask questions about the current plan for integrating Earth culture into Solana, and witnesses say that the Lombax began to signs of visible anger before exploding at the reporters."_

As the footage shifted to Ratchet in his car, Elaris quickly grabbed her phone, and tapped in Brax's number.

After a few dial tones, Brax's voice trickled through the phone. "Hey 'Laris, I know that Ratchet's announcement was really sudden, me and Cora have been talking about how we feel about it and we-"

"Brax…" Elaris choked out as she watched the yellow Lombax on the TV grow angrier and angrier before lashing out at the reporters. "Brax, are you watching the local news right now?"

"Uh no, me and Cora have been marathoning superhero movies on Netflix. Why, is there something we should-"

"It's Ratchet." Elaris shook violently as she watched the car shoot forward into the intersection, and get slammed into by a black pickup truck. "He's been in a car accident. A horrific one."

Brax stuttered for a moment before pushing out, "Come on 'Laris, this isn't funny."

"No, I'm not joking." The tall girl fought to keep her fear and anxiety from overwhelming her. "Ratchet's been hurt, and he might not live through this."

Cora's voice echoed out from the other side of the phone as Brax remained silent. _"Hey Brax, what's with the shocked face, what happened?"_

Brax seemed to shrug off Cora's question. "Elaris, what do I do, what do _we_ do?" he asked, the normally gruff Ranger's voice strained and fearful.

Elaris took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, an image of the large hospital downtown flashed onscreen, and the tall girl quickly focused back in on the broadcast.

 _"Ratchet has been quickly rushed to the Merciful Angel Hospital, where he is now in an unknown condition awaiting medical attention."_

"Elaris?!"

"Brax, grab Cora and meet me and Qwark at the Merciful Angel Hospital. You remember where it is? We passed it a few times when we practiced driving around the city."

"I think I know my way to it. You need me to pick up anything on the way?"

Elaris could barely think of anything other than getting to Ratchet. She grabbed her gun and knife off the bed and stuffed them into her knapsack as she held the phone with her shoulder. "I don't think you need to bring anything. Just grab Cora and meet us there."

She ended the call just as a very worried sounding voice trickled into her ear. _"Brax, what the hell is going-"_

Elaris hooked the strap of the knapsack over her head and quickly bolted out of her room.

Qwark stared at her as she bolted into the living room. "Uh, 'Laris, you okay-"

The tall girl fought to keep her voice level and firm. "Captain, Ratchet's been in a bad car accident, we need to get to the Merciful Angel Hospital now."

Qwark didn't argue. Not much could shake up Elaris, and with the obvious way the poor girl was struggling to hold herself, he could see that this was completely serious.

"Elaris, what are we going to do?" Qwark asked, quickly taking off his apron and throwing it to the side. "Something like this hasn't happened before! None of us have gotten this badly injured on Earth! Heck, we gave out as little medical information on us as possible, so the government or a criminal couldn't use it against us!" The captain stared fearfully at Elaris, not really knowing how to handle a situation he hadn't been fully prepared for.

Elaris took a deep breath to steady herself and clear her head. "Okay, here's what we need to do," she said firmly, more to calm herself than the situation. She pointed to Qwark. "Captain, you need to contact the base and see if you can get them to forward all of the medical information they have on Ratchet to the hospital as quickly as possible. Since it's a local human hospital and not the military base, they don't have his medical records and risk giving him something that can kill him in his weakened state. I'll get us to the hospital, and we'll see what we need to do after we find out how Ratchet's doing."

Qwark nodded as he shut off the TV and the kitchen lights in a few quick movements. "My phone's still charging, can I borrow yours for right now?"

Elaris tossed Qwark her phone as she headed swiftly for the door, the large man close behind her. He pounded in the number for the secure line to the base as Elaris quickly locked the apartment door behind them. As they headed down the open staircase, Qwark put the phone to his ear, and after a few moments, began talking.

"Hey there Sargent Patterson! Did you happen to catch the news a few minutes ago?"

They bolted for Elaris' dark blue Sudan. The tall girl unlocked the trunk and quickly snapped open the trunk door, the backseats already lowered so Qwark could sit in the back and have a little space to move around.

Elaris hopped into the car as Qwark lifted himself into the back of the car and shut the trunk behind him, all the while talking to the base's manager. Sargent Patterson, from what Elaris could catch as she stuffed the key in the ignition and started the car, was pretty shocked from the news and was currently trying to pull up the few medical reports he had gotten on all the Rangers and send it to the hospital. As she backed the car out of its parking spot, Qwark graciously thanked the Sargent in his over-the-top way and hung up the call.

Elaris looked forward, shifted into Drive, and pushed her foot down on the gas pedal as much as she could without crashing into something in the small parking lot.

The dark blue car maneuvered around the other parked cars and sped for the main gate to the gated community. Elaris gripped the wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white. Qwark stared ahead silently, unsure of what to say and not wanting to talk in case he said the wrong thing.

As the car slipped out of the gated community and sped into the main road, the two of them held their breaths, hoping that Ratchet was going to pull through the night.

"Man," Qwark whispered, rubbing his hands together, "I wonder how Clank is? Wasn't he in the accident too?"

The car stopped dead in the street as Elaris was hit with the heavy realization. Qwark slammed into the two front seats with a pained "oof," not expecting the sudden stop.

"Oh my god!" Elaris cried as she whipped the steering wheel around, turning onto another road that led away from the hospital. "CLANK!"

* * *

 _ **TheWhiteGuardian** helped me with this chapter, beta-reading this and checking for any plotholes and such. I want to thank him for his help, and for anyone that doesn't know who he is, go check out his stuff. It's awesome, and I'll be working with him on a few projects in the future!_

 _See you guys in the next chapter!_

 _XD_


	2. Part 2

_(0_0 Wow, I'm honestly surprised that the first chapter got positive feedback. I'll admit, I'm really scared at how everyone will take the direction of the story, and hopefully you guys will like what happens in coming chapters._

 _As for the reviews, I'm going to use this fic to experiment on a different way to answer reviews. Since I don't want to just say a general thank you for the reviews [I think you guys deserve better than that], I'll try answering your reviews before the story, since I may have to explain certain things at the end of the chapter as a preview for the next chapter. -_- So much to do..._

 ** _The White Guardian:_**

 _Thank you for being the first to review and thank you for the kind words! ...As for that headcanon that Elaris mains Symmetra, come on man, you know she's obviously a Hanzo main {The White Guardian: * **TRIGGERED** * *lionkingreference*}. Nah, if I did have to pick an Overwatch main for her, it probably would be one of the healers. She's probably the only one with enough patience to slug through the endless spamming of "I need healing!" text, and she already makes a very good support for the Rangers. __And as for the general audiences, he isn't lying when he says that he doesn't know what's coming next. I only showed him the first chapter in the behind the scenes stuff, and he hasn't yet read this chapter or anything for the future chapters yet. He knows key details in the story, but he doesn't know how I'm going to write it. I hope you like this chapter Guardian, I'm a little scared at how well it turned out._

 ** _Bumblebee Witwicky:_**

 _Thank you for the nice review! I'm glad you love it, and I hope these next few chapters please you as much as the first one did! :)_

 ** _J-Wolf7:_**

 _Thank you for your kind review! Although, in this fic, Clank is going to have a different role in this story, and I hope people don't get mad at me for the role I give him. As you will see in this chapter, Clank has been hurt by this news, although it will be expanded upon in the third part to this story. Thank you again for the nice words, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

 ** _Max Chronicle:_**

 _Hey there Max! Nice to see you! Thank you so much for the nice review! I know the last chapter was really heavy on exposition, but in order to help fill in plotholes and make sense of Ratchet's emotional conflict I had to write out all the reasons I could think of. I'm glad you still liked it, and I hope this new chapter can continue to please!_

 _Well, that's all the review answers I have. Speaking of plotholes, I encountered an enormous one while writing this. Everyone knows how OP Nanotech is, and what soldier wouldn't take medical equipment to another planet in case of emergencies? It was something that I couldn't get rid of entirely since it's such a prominent thing in the games, so I had to... make it disappear... *evil smile*)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. The two main OCs in here belong to me. I also didn't put a witty thing at the end of the other disclaimer at the end of the last chapter, so this means I need to include one this chapter... *throws some sand in the air* Be amazed at my wittiness! 0_O**

Comatose

Part 2

By the time Cora and Brax approached the hospital, both of them were sick with worry and terrified over Ratchet's possible state. As Brax pulled into the parking lot, Cora squeezed her hands into tight fists in her jacket pockets. She could barely breathe, and she felt so wired up with fear she was scared she wouldn't be able to take any kind of news without breaking down.

Brax swallowed anxiously as he backed into a parking spot, equally worried about his fellow Ranger's health. Most heroes never lived long, healthy lives, and Brax didn't want Ratchet to be added to that list. The young Lombax was always brimming with cheer and the love of living life, and it wouldn't be fair if the universe took him away at such a young age.

The two of them bolted out of the car as soon as it stopped, Brax locking up the car behind him as Cora dragged him to the front doors of the hospital. They burst into the hospital and gawked in shock at what they saw.

"Come on Brax! Ratchet needs us now!" Cora exclaimed, dragging the male Ranger through the automatic hospital doors.

Brax stuffed the keys in his bulky sweatshirt pocket as the two of them burst into the hospital room. "I know Cora! I'm just trying to… make… sure… our…" Brax trailed off as he stared at the chaotic scene in front of him.

People were absolutely everywhere. The normally sick patients and their caretakers were crammed into the corners of the waiting room, their sad and furious faces aimed right at the group responsible for the seat changes. Reporters flooded the middle of the hospital waiting room, swarming around the front desk and any hospital assistant that stepped into the room. Cameramen and women pointed their cameras at their respective reporters, each fighting to get the first news on Ratchet's condition. Police officers fought back against the horde of reporters, gently pushing them backwards to the doors, but reeling back as the reporters tried to surge forward to get the news. It was utter chaos in the lobby, and Cora and Brax were nearly trampled as another reporter from another TV station tore into the hospital and bolted for the front desk.

The two Rangers stood star-struck for a moment before a middle-aged hurried over to them. He wore a dark grey, bomber jacket over a wrinkled shirt and a pair of worn jeans. With the barely maintained poker face combined with the dark bags underneath his eyes, both Cora and Brax could tell that whatever was going on wasn't looking good.

"Corporal… Jackson?"

The man nodded slightly before moving the three of them to a small space free of reporters, just diagonal of the reception desk. "On all the nights one of you guys gets injured it has to be the one where I'm taking the night off." The corporal rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I know I'm not in uniform, but I heard the news right as I was getting out of the shower, and with how fast the press can move, I threw on whatever I had and got here as fast as I could."

"How's Ratchet?" Cora asked quickly, the question leaving her mouth before her brain could even process it.

Jackson sucked in a breath and looked over at the crowd of reporters. The police were starting to lose the battle with the reporters, and now the men and women were swarming the hospital waiting room, eager to ask every person if they had seen Ratchet come into the hospital and evaluate what kind of condition the Lombax had been in. "I'm going to be honest with you two, it-"

A couple of reporters bolted for Cora, Brax, and Jackson, their cameramen and women close behind. They shoved their microphones forward and crowded the three of them.

"Corporal Jackson, what is the current condition of the Ranger, Ratchet?"

"Brax, Cora! How do you two get the news that one of your comrade-in-arms was caught in a car accident?"

"How will this affect Earth? Will Solana-"

Cora felt her anger rise as the reporters crowded her, Brax, and Jackson up against a wall. The reporters collectively pushed closer, now that they realized the three interviewees had nowhere to go.

"Cora! How do you feel now that one of your closest friends is in the hospital?"

"Corporal Jackson! What effort is the government putting forth to save this Lombax?"

"Brax, Cora, over here! How will Ratchet's possible death affect the Rangers?!"

"ENOUGH!"

Cora threw back her right hand and raised her left hand, flashing the hidden neuroprocessor cuff wrapped around her wrist. A fully loaded Warmonger, the only one on Earth and one of the many confiscated weapons that was supposed to stay locked up in a high-tech vault, morphed into her arms.

The reporters stumbled back as Cora aimed the rocket launcher directly at them, a venomous look on her face.

"None of you are here to help the situation and all of you are just making it worse! So, I'm going to say this once before I blast you off the face of the planet!"

The Warmonger lit up, and the rockets spread apart from the main base of the weapon, signaling that the weapon was ready to fire. Cora took a step forward, her face twisted in pure fury.

" _ **GET OUT!**_ " she roared at the press, turning her previous fear for Ratchet's life and frustration at not being able to help him get better into a weapon she could use to relieve stress.

The reporters, every last one of them, bolted out of the hospital building. They tore out into the parking lot, terrified of the furious female Ranger with the enormous rocket launcher on her shoulders.

Cora panted with fury as she struggled to hold herself from tearing after the press and venting her stress on them. She felt a finger tap on her shoulder, and hardened her face as she turned around to face Jackson.

"Miss Veralux," Jackson began, his arms behind his back and his voice level with caution, "the Rangers agreed to give up their weapons and armors while staying on Earth. Why do you have neuroprocessors on your wrists and a Warmonger in your arms?"

Cora glared coldly at Jackson, her anger still there but not as explosive. "I know I fought with my teammates over the issue of giving up our stuff, but I kept these neuroprocessors for extreme emergencies, and the life of one of my fellow Rangers classifies as an extreme emergency." She pointed the Warmonger at Jackson and snarled, "If Ratchet dies tonight-"

Jackson gave Cora a cold glare of his own before cutting her off. "Miss Veralux, you're not going to get anywhere pointing a rocket launcher at a man who has served in the military for longer than you've been alive. I'm not afraid to die. You have broken the agreement with the American government, and you will face repercussions as soon as this whole thing is over."

Brax sided over to Cora and growled at the military officer. "One of our own is lying on a hospital bed drifting between life and death, and you're more concerned about us breaking your stupid tech rules?!" Before Jackson could respond, Brax puffed out his chest and pushed his face in Jackson's. "If we lose Ratchet tonight, so help me we're going to bring down hell upon your heads!"

The other people in the lobby held their breath as they took in the statement. Some groups of people began to murmur to each other, and a few little kids broke into tears.

Brax gulped but maintained his tough glare. He honestly didn't want to hurt anyone, but right now he had no idea if one of his friends was alive or dead, and he couldn't do anything to help the young Lombax through the pain. He was just as angry and scared as Cora, and right now, threatening someone with a galactic attack in order to get them to stop fooling around with silly rules was sounding like a great idea.

Jackson's face darkened, and the corporal seemed to hold himself back from yelling at Brax. "Don't you think I already know that?!" the corporal exclaimed. "I know that Solana will come after us if one of their best soldiers dies and I know that if we don't get this under wraps quick, all the citizens of Earth will enter a mass panic and cause absolute chaos in the world."

He pulled back and rubbed his forehead, a headache beginning to form in his head. He sighed and continued. "All the presses from every news station in the world will probably be here by tomorrow morning, ready to deliver the news to the public. I understand that there are bigger problems to this situation, but I'm trying to keep some resemblance of order before this whole thing goes to-"

"Cora, Brax!"

Elaris sprinted in with Qwark close behind her, the captain cradling Clank in one of his arms. The tall girl bolted for the group and screeched to a halt, panting and heaving to catch her breath. Qwark stopped just behind her, slightly winded from all the sprinting he had to do in the past forty-five minutes. Clank lifted his head up from where he was, and looked solemnly at the rest of the Rangers, the little robot visibly shaken by the news.

"We're… here… got… Clank…" Elaris managed to get out, still struggling to get her breath.

Cora waved her hand and the Warmonger disappeared back into its place in the government safe. "Perfect. Elaris, Captain. Did you two bring the emergency Nanotech we have in case of emergencies?" She hardened her face, and relaxed a little as she waited for the "yes" she wanted to hear.

Elaris stopped breathing, her eyes wide with terror. Qwark's face also grew with fear, his eyes darting back and forth to avoid eye contact with Cora.

Brax took a step forward toward Qwark and even Clank looked up from where he was.

"Captain," Clank said fearfully, his first spoken word since hearing about his best friend's accident, "you did keep the emergency Nanotech that was given to us as a way to recover from such incidents as these… correct?"

Qwark set Clank on the floor and tried to find the perfect start to his sentence. "So… you see…" he began, avoiding eye contact with the Rangers.

The Warmonger was back in Cora's hand and before anyone could even register the weapon showing up again, the girl pointed the rocket launcher straight at the captain's face.

" _ **WHERE'S THE NANOTECH?!**_ "

Elaris pulled back on Cora just as Qwark swan-dived behind a row of hospital chairs. "Cora! Stop! Captain Qwark wasn't the one who suggested the Nanotech go, I made that decision!"

Both Brax and Cora shot Elaris freezing glares, and even Clank was dumbstruck by the confession.

"But… why?" Clank asked, feeling so lost in the situation he might have not even been there.

"Elaris," Brax started, waving a threatening finger at her, "if you did it because you wanted us to give up every piece of tech we have-"

"No!" Elaris exclaimed, cutting Brax off. "Just let me explain, and stop making assumptions about why the captain and I got rid of the Nanotech!"

The two Rangers calmed down a little, and Clank stepped forward to get closer to Elaris. Qwark peeked his head out from behind the chairs and watched from where he hid.

Elaris took a deep breath. "Captain Qwark and I agreed to get rid of all our Nanotech after we learned its effects on the human body. Nanotech is healing and helpful to us, but for humans, Nanotech is pure poison." She looked back up at Cora and Brax. "Nanotech, at its base level, was designed to accelerate the rate of healing and cell growth. Broken bones? New bone cells that reform the bone back to its original state. Gunshot wound? New blood and skin cells that fill in what was lost, not to mention the rapid growth of immune cells that fight off infections-"

Clank tugged on Elaris' leg, and the girl looked at his sad face before clearing her throat and continuing on.

"Nanotech in our bodies quickly accelerates cell growth, but when it comes to humans and their cells, Nanotech will overgrow cells."

Elaris openly winced. "An example of that would be back when Sargent Patterson asked me if we could use some of our emergency Nanotech to heal a soldier suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and major blood loss. I agreed, to find out what kind of effect the Nanotech would have on humans. But when we gave him an orb of Nanotech…" The tall girl winced again. "In minutes, his blood cells multiplied, but it didn't stop after he was back to having a normal level of blood. I can't describe to you how horrifying that was, but in the end, the doctors had to draw a few gallons of blood from him before the Nanotech wore off to keep him stable."

She shuddered. "There was another time when one of the soldiers got sick from the loss of white blood cells in his immune system. Nanotech was used again, but this time the white blood cells grew out of control, multiplying and eating perfectly healthy cells, endangering the poor man's life." A few tears ran down her cheeks as Elaris remembered the pain the Nanotech had caused the humans. "Even in a crate, Nanotech is still dangerous. Gadgetron designed the crates to let off a bit of the healing power, so that you could tell if Nanotech is nearby and already start the healing process. But when some of the humans unloaded the crates from our ship, they reported back that painful blisters and skin erosions had formed on their arms." She took another deep breath before continuing. "I believe it has something to do with how evolved our bodies are as compared to the humans. We've had a couple million years to adapt to the Nanotech, whereas these are the first doses the humans are getting. The Nanotech orbs are far too advanced for them at this stage, and can only do more harm than good."

Cora threw out her arms, the Warmonger vanishing from the hospital waiting room. "Why didn't you just put the Nanotech somewhere else?!" she asked angrily.

Elaris reeled back. "We had nowhere else to put it! With our large dropship gone, I couldn't just stuff all your fighters with crates of Nanotech, and the weapons and armors vault was packed enough as it was."

She drew her hands close to her chest. "After a long discussion, Captain Qwark and I agreed to one-way warp all the Nanotech back to the Hall of Heroes."

Everyone was dead silent for a moment before a tall, raven-haired doctor with a clipboard in his hands burst out of the double doors to the emergency room and bolted for Jackson. "Corporal Jackson! We need your assistance on this patient immediately!"

Jackson turned around and nodded to the doctor. "Yes, what do you need?"

The doctor turned the clipboard around and showed the half a page of medical information on Ratchet. "Sir, I mean no offense, but you did a very crappy job of taking the patient's medical information."

Jackson's face hardened with fury as Elaris stepped forward. "Please," Elaris said, stepping in front of the official before he could argue with the doctor, "the lack of medical information is not Corporal Jackson's fault. That is on our part, we did not want to share such personal information to people that could possibly use it against us."

The doctor took a breath before rubbing the side of his head. "There's very little I can work on here, and that's dangerous if you want this patient to live."

Before anyone could say anything, the doctor continued. "The Lombax the ambulance brought in is in critical condition and is suffering from major blood loss. I need to know the Lombax's blood type, or else I risk giving him something that could destroy the rest of the blood cells he still has."

Jackson pointed a finger at the doctor. "What about a bag of O blood, the one type every human can get without damage? Can't that help him?"

The doctor shook his head. "I don't know, and that's the problem. I don't know how his body will react to different types of human blood. I don't know if his regular blood will fight and reject or be consumed by the human blood, and I don't know if his body will accept or consume the O blood."

The Rangers' faces paled, and some of them grew sick with fear. Jackson lost his official demeanor and threw out his arms.

"Is there anything you _can_ do to get him to a relatively stable state?"

The doctor leaned forward, extremely angry. "I'm a doctor, not a miracle-worker. I can't play a guessing game with his life, and major blood loss is just one of the many health fatalities me and my team have noticed." The doctor turned the clipboard back around and lifted up the page with Ratchet's medical information. "I need to know if he has any allergies so that the medicine I do give him doesn't set off an allergic reaction, I need to know if he has any organs that aren't like a human's and are unique to his species so that I don't damage them while operating on him, I need to know how many beats per minute his normal heart rate emits so that I don't stem the flow of oxygenated blood throughout his body, and the list goes on!" He sighed and lowered the paper back down. "I'm sorry, but unless I can get all of this information in the next five minutes or during the time I operate on him, the Lombax won't be alive for much longer."

Brax held his head in his hands and Cora fought screaming out in rage. Clank shuddered, and little, choking sobs came from the robot. Qwark came out from behind the chairs and stood next to Elaris, not really knowing what to say to his team.

An idea suddenly hit Brax so hard he cried out in joy. "That's it!" he exclaimed, whirling around to face the others. The four other Rangers and Corporal Jackson looked at him, half of them looking skeptical and the other half with hope painted on their face.

Brax snapped his fingers. "Ratchet installed a Gigametric Warp Drive to his ship, and it can fly to Solana in two hours, with an extra half hour to get to the Hall of Heroes. If I can fly his ship back to Solana and pick up the amount of Nanotech he needs, I can get it back here as quick as I can and save him!"

Almost immediately, Brax was surrounded by his fellow Rangers.

"What if you don't make it back in time?!" Cora exclaimed, her eyes wide with both fear and hope.

Brax shook his head. "I can't just leave him to die! I have to try _something_!"

Qwark piped up from where he stood. "Brax, the galactic authorities might slow you down if they catch you speeding through the sector, and a surprise visit to the Hall of Heroes without any forewarning might not be taken well." He screwed up his face and puffed out his chest. "That's why I'll be heading with you back to Solana."

Brax raised a finger to contest, but Qwark beat him to it. "I have a good bit of leverage over the authorities in Solana, and without me there, they may believe that you're faking it, or it's an enemy that's disguised as you trying to break into the Hall of Heroes. I can give you the authority you need to get through the galaxy without being slowed down."

Brax nodded formally, thankful that someone had his back. "Thank you, Captain."

Jackson stepped forward. "If that's what you guys are going to do, then I can do something to help. I can arrange for an escort to the military base with the guys I have, and they'll get you to your ship. They should also be there for when you return, and they'll get you back here with the Nanotech." He looked back at the squad of police still in the waiting room before turning to Elaris, Cora, Clank, and the doctor. "I can also keep the press out of your way for a while, but by tomorrow morning every news station from here to the other ends of the Earth are going to be at this hospital, begging to know if Ratchet lives or not. If we don't give them some good news by tomorrow, then we risk a global panic." He rubbed his head and grunted. "I think I can get Sargent Patterson to hold off and calm the world leaders, and I'll do my best to keep the press off you, but that's all I can really do now with what I've got until reinforcements come in."

The doctor rubbed back his short hair and sighed irritably. "Like I said before, I don't have much on Ratchet's medical history. I need someone to provide some of the necessary components I need or Ratchet won't have that much longer."

All of the Rangers looked to Elaris, who, after a moment of hesitation, stepped forward. Her hand shook as she raised it to her chest, and fear flashed through her eyes.

"I'll do it," she said in a quiet voice. She took a deep breath before speaking up again, this time her voice a little bit firmer. "After the whole thing with the Deplanetizer, I researched what was known about the Lombax species. It was a year or two ago, and I haven't really looked at it much since, but I do remember some things from the articles on their anatomy."

The doctor bit his lip before rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "It goes against every health code and federal law for me to have you back there, but Ratchet's in bad condition, and I need all the help I can get." He looked to Elaris. "Have you ever been in an operating room before?"

She shook her head slightly. "No sir," she said, her voice dropping down to a whisper.

The doctor sighed before nodding his head. "Alright, if it gets too intense, then I'll tell you to look away. The doctor's life isn't for everyone, and being in the operating room with someone in critical condition for the first time is something that will suck ten years out of your lifespan. Now," the doctor looked to Brax and Qwark, "how long do I need to keep him stable for before you guys return with that Nanotech stuff?"

Jackson looked at the watch hidden underneath his jacket sleeve. "It's about 2200 hours now, 11:00 o'clock."

Brax held out a hand. "So if it takes a half an hour to get to the base, two and a half hours to get to Solana, two and a half hours to get back, and another half hour to get the Nanotech here…"

"Six hours." Jackson confirmed. "At the least amount of time possible, you need to keep Ratchet alive until 5 in the morning."

A spark of hope erupted from within the Rangers, and each of them held onto it with every fiber of their being.

The doctor waved to Elaris. "Come on miss, we've been out here long enough. We need to get to the operating room now. The other nurses and doctors on my team should be done with moving him onto the operating table."

Elaris nodded and quickly followed the doctor through the double doors, the white doors slamming shut behind them.

Jackson nodded to Qwark and Brax. "Alright guys, head outside and I'll get a guy to drive you to the base. There will be people getting the ship ready as you drive there, and after they get your ship ready the rest is up to you two." He saluted them. "Good luck, and have a safe flight."

Brax and Qwark gave quick salutes back before racing for the parking lot. Jackson turned and hurried over to the squad of police officers, Cora and Clank close behind him.

"You there, what was your name? Becker! I need you to take another guy with you and escort Captain Qwark and Brax Lectrus to the military base. You know where that is, correct?"

Becker nodded. "Yeah, but I don't have the clearance to get through the main gates."

Jackson frowned and quickly dug into his jacket pocket. After a moment, he threw an ID badge over to Becker. "Here," Jackson said, "My badge should be enough to get you through the gates. If not, tell 'em I'll fire and kick all their asses as soon as the Solonian government gets through with them."

Becker nodded and bolted toward the parking lot, badge clutched tightly in his hand.

Jackson faced the other cops. "Alright guys, set up a perimeter and keep the press at least two hundred feet from the hospital. Hold it and make sure nothing comes past except for people in real need of emergency."

One of the cops raised his hand. "Sir, we don't have enough units right now to hold that wide of a perimeter."

Jackson waved his hand. "Alright, that will be my main job right now. I'll radio your chief and ask him to send as many units as he can, and I'll see if I can get more of my military guys in here." He straightened up and nodded curtly to the cops in the group. "I know I really shouldn't give orders when I'm not your chief, but this is huge, and we need to keep both Ratchet and the sick people in here the protection they need. The press is going to want to know everything that progresses in here over the course of the night, and they won't care about who they bother or hurt to get that information. Not to mention the possible threat of any terrorists or assassins wanting to take a shot at a dying Lombax. We need to keep the people in here safe, and give the doctors a chance to fix up Ratchet while they have the time."

The squad of cops nodded and saluted, pride and determination lighting up their faces. "We're with you sir," one of them said before turning to the others in the group. "Alright, Alverez, take Jenny with you and guard the back entrance until more help shows up. Tucker, Walker, you guard the entrance to the emergency room entrance, where the ambulances drop off their patients in critical condition. You two remember where that is?"

The two cops in question nodded. "Perfect," the leader said. "Parker, Hunter, we're going to man the front entrance until reinforcements show up. Start small, and when more help shows up, fan out and get to that two hundred feet requirement. Alright guys, -" the leader of the squad nodded toward Jackson "- let's show this military official how well we can handle a bad situation in our town!" he said, trying to add a little more enthusiasm to his squad.

The cops smiled and cheered, the assigned pairs breaking off and heading to the post they needed to keep safe. The leader of the squad turned and gave a small salute to Jackson before turning and heading to the front entrance.

Jackson quickly whirled around and headed for back entrance of the hospital, pulling a cracked and worn iPhone out of his pocket and pulling up his contacts.

"Um, I beg your pardon, Corporal Jackson, but is there anything we can do to help out?"

Jackson turned and looked down to an anxious Clank, with a determined and hard-faced Cora right behind him.

"There's got to be something for us to do, Jackson," Cora said as she jerked a thumb at herself and nodding to Clank. "Come on, let us help guard the perimeter. We can manage it!"

Jackson paused for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm sorry you two, but I don't think I can let you two do that. Not only will the press tear you guys down for info, but I need someone to wait for any news on Ratchet's condition while I'm trying to get protection around the building and working with Patterson in keeping the world leaders calm."

Clank blinked, his small form shaking as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "You want us… to just wait here?" he asked quietly, his voice barely heard as the little robot crossed his hands over his chest protectively.

Jackson nodded. "I know it's not the most favorable option for you guys, but I don't want the press chasing you two down for information, and I need someone to keep me informed of the updates to Ratchet's health. You two make yourself comfortable here in the waiting room, and if you get any news on Ratchet's health, come find me immediately. I'll be near the back entrance of the hospital, radioing in support."

He looked down at his phone, and before Clank or Cora could say anything else, he put the phone to his ear and walked off, talking to the police chief about how many men and women could come to the hospital this late at night.

Clank slowly looked up at Cora, who slowly looked down at him. The two weren't that close to each other, but in that moment, they felt the same level of hopelessness that would inevitably plague them for the next several hours.

"Come on Clank," Cora said quietly as she patted the robot on the back and lead him over to a group of chairs away from the rest of the humans. "Let's wait this out together."

* * *

 _Well, that's it for the second part! To answer a few questions you guys may have: Yes, Clank did have a little part in this chapter, a very tiny part considering he is Ratchet's best friend. Qwark got a bigger role than him... and that is something I wanted. In terms of story, Qwark's authority as the Captain of the Rangers can help convey the truth to Brax's urgency. In terms of real life, this can happen. Sometimes the most unlikely person can provide the help needed, and sometimes the person closest to the injured or sick isn't able to do anything at all._

 _For things coming up in part 3: Clank definitely has a more attention, we get to see Solana again and the Hall of Heroes, Elaris will face the trauma of being in the operating/emergency room, and... did anyone ever question how Grim got ahold of that secure line to Earth?_

 _See you guys in the next chapter!_

 _XD_


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